MickD

350 for 15 minutes per Do-It Molds.

Right. I've just heated them with a butane lighter, side of the flame so as not to get ash/carbon on the head. Might not work for bigger ones, mine are all pretty small. One thing you can do to make the coating more durable is to bake them in an oven - I've not done it, so can someone who has give the temp and time?

Rapala DT's are very effective and with the variety of running depths, I have many of them. They catch everything. Some very nice finishes, my # 1 is the Iconelli special "Smash."

color matters big time on St Clair. A guide once told me he needs only one color on St Clair, green. We have found that the greenish Canada Craw TRD ned regularly outfishes other colors that don't have any green in them.

The inputs that go into a fish to induce it to bite are numerous as covered in the most recent In Fisherman article, hard data, not just opinions. Size, sound, shape, color, movement, etc. How they all are prioritized is up to the specific fish, and hence our challenge to think (they don't really think, they instinctively react) like the fish.

This is really interesting, and confirms what I've been thinking about some of the lost fish, especially on small swimbaits that with the traditional rigging don't have much hook gap. I've thought that most of the fish that are on for 10 seconds or so then gone don't even have the hook in them. They are just holding on. We have had muskies take smallies and hang on for quite a long time, until you get them close to the boat. They have the smallie in their mouths across the back and not anywhere near the hook. They are just holding on.

I'll check and update later. I think it's a Cabela's, made by ??? I'll get you the size. It's used with two Humminbird depth finders and a 60 HP Merc 4 stroke. Cabelas Pro Series (made in China) , didn't see size spec on it but its footprint is 10 x 6 in, 8 1/4 inches high. It is a starting battery and not a deep cycle. I think this size makes it a group 24. I have to admit it doesn't get challenged much by starting since the engine always starts almost instantly. The depth finders running all day probably are more of a challenge.

I'm in for the AGM based on my purchasing one in 2017, starting battery, powers my depth finders and starts the engine. It still is performing like new. I keep it on a smart charger almost all the time during the fishing season, disconnect it over the winter (cold where stored) when fully charged, and it has served me well.

I'm quite sure the issue is not your reaction time, but your focus. Keep trying and I think you'll see big improvements. Finger on a key so that it measures your reaction time and not the time it takes to go from above the key to stroking the key.

I believe that in most cases when guides break, it is because they have been abused. They don't break just from bending the rod. MOST cases to cover me from the inevitable disagreement.

"I had a bite. . . . perhaps. . . . I said perhaps, and that's final."

Nope. I'm 82 and still have faster reaction time than necessary for fishing. I sometimes think I would be better off not reacting as quickly as I sometimes do. If you're curious about your reaction time, there are on-line tests for it. Here is one that said I have the reaction time of a 21 year old. https://www.justpark.com/creative/reaction-time-test/

You should have enough for bass fishing. Are you sure you are filling the spool enough? With 10 you can get pretty close to the lip without problems.

Obviously you didn't have enough line to meet your expectations. Keep in mind that if you're using 4 carrier braids above about 15 pound test, a shallow spool just may not hold enough. Put a premium 10 pound 8 carrier braid on it and I think you'll have plenty. Hitena Pureline is very small, round, tough, trouble free, and I'll bet you can get the full 150 yards onto that reel.

I have had three of these vests (two Cabelas and one Bass Pro) for many many years and I've only had one go off despite having fished in pouring rain and storing them in my boat locker. The one that went off actually got flooded in a mishap, so it was a legit case and not a problem. I think you need to find a better place to store them. They probably are being exposed to more moisture than you think. Looks like the kits are from $22-$30, a little less expensive than your number.

I once tried to use an old Pflueger Supreme for sentimentality and found that the very small crank radius was something I just couldn't get used to. Quite surprising, and I don't know exactly why, but it just wouldn't work well enough to allow use of the reel.

I don't deep clean anything. I will disassemble to the first "layer," and that's all. If anything else is necessary, I send them to a pro reel servicer. Too easy to screw something up with these modern, very complex reels. And they don't really need much attention beyond the first "layer" unless they've spent some time under water, which is pretty unusual. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

My preference is the VMC Spin Shot drop shot hooks. I have trouble with the palomar, getting the hook positioned properly, and with the VMC's it's a piece of cake. I like the long, slender, cylindrically shaped weights since they get snagged less often. I tie them on, not relying on their feature that is supposed to grab onto the line and secure them. The fact that the hook is "close to the line" has no detrimental effect on their effectiveness, and in fact I think it makes them more effective since it keeps the attitude of the lure better controlled than using a dropper does. But both can work based on my observations and experience. A tip if you're using Z-man Elaztec lures, especially the samll Z-Too's, just barely hook them; don;t put the hook way into the lure. I think by barely hooking them it allows them to pivot/float up away from the hook to a head down position, possibly imitating a feeding minnow. Seems more effective that way. They are tough enough so they don't easily come off even when hooked this way.

Me too. Sounds like an oxymoron. "ultra-light musky rod"

You can buy swivels that are "paired" that make this very easy to do. Or buy swivels with open loops and pair your own. A friend likes this for smallies on Lake St Clair, and with only 4-6 inches of line to the hook it doesn't tangle much. However, I have tried it and have not found it more effective than the traditional drop shot. Recent tournament reports from St Clair indicate the fish (SMB) were hitting drop shot on the fall and with no added action. So the action increase that comes with this approach may in some cases be counterproductive, with the lure just sitting mostly immobile being a more effective presentation.

Light, medium light, medium, descriptions that are highly unreliable. Actual CCS numbers are the only way to really know what you're getting for power. I have a rod I built from a Phenix M1 7 ft 2 inch that fishes very well. What does "fishes soft" mean?

Midway just recently got into fishing, but I've ordered shooting stuff from them "forever." They are a fine company, good performance, excellent customer service ( I had to return some scope rings that didn't work out, no problems).

I don't have a better idea and want to point out that whatever you do, do not allow the tips of the rods to bump into any vertical walls/bulkheads/structure. Tips can easily be broken from such contact when boating through rough water.

I guess I'm lucky, never had a bad spool of anything exc the old Vanish. I think "bad spools" are much rarer than what I hear about on forums. I use fly tippet FC and hard mono leader material for my leaders. I like them for their stiffness which helps with lures like blade baits to keep them from tangling on the snap retrieves and I believe they are tougher than line. I don't know why people don't use "leader" grade products for "leader." Line is designed to be line; leader is designed to be leader. People will pay $20 for a lure then put it on a piece of $5 line.

Then try Daiwas, great quality in all the recent ones I've purchased.